The Goto Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan are known as producers of camellia seed oil. In this study, we investigated the effect of oral intake of camellia seed oil from the Goto Islands on lipid metabolism in the skin and liver of mice. Twenty-one ICR male mice (4 weeks old) were divided into three groups (Control, 4％ camellia oil, and 8％ camellia oil; n＝7 per group), and fed the experimental diets for 4 weeks. Results of the plasma parameters assessed indicated that total cholesterol (T-Chol) and leptin levels tended to be lower in the 4％ camellia oil group than the other groups. However, no significant differences in total lipid, triacylglycerol, T-Chol, and phospholipid levels in the skin and liver were observed among the groups. In regards to fatty acid composition of the skin, the oleic acid (C18:1) ratio was significantly increased in a camellia oil dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the ratios of palmitic (C16:0) and palmitoleic (C16:1) acids in the skin and liver were significantly reduced. Thus, this study suggests that replacing dietary fats with camellia seed oil alters the fatty acid composition in the skin and liver.
